XR650L Battery Box warning !!

vector6

yesterday about 40 miles from home over very rocky West Virginia terrain, my rear mount for the battery box on my 650L decided to let loose.. the mount had broken off the frame section.
I had a full roll of electrical tape in the toolbag, and wrapped the whole roll around the batt box up over the fender and around and off towards the house i went.. this lasted about 10 miles..

fearing losing the front mount as the box was flapping like a feather in a hurricane while riding the rocky terrain, i stopped again and cut the web belt from my O'neil Hardware pants and tied the rear batt box mount to the helmet hook and proceded towards the house..

it made it home .. after pressurewashing the bike i removed the seat, rear fender, both rear turnsignals, and fired up the mig gun..

its back on, primed, painted and better than new.

so... everyone who uses there L for any rough off road adventures have a look at the welds on the rear mount of your batt box..

I dread to think about the 40 mile walk out of no where if both mounts would have let loose..

zodran

I shook mine apart a few years ago coming down corkscrew around ouray. Mine had broken completely loose and was hanging by the wire loom, luckily it was the last day we were there anyway. The tire or chain had ground a hole thru the case and into the battery a bit.
New battery, a sheetmetal brake formed lexan patch siliconed over the hole, some 16ga gussets and some bumper paint fixed me right up.
My CDI went out the next year, don't know if that was coincidence or a result of being banged around for unknown miles.
If you broke that it might be a good idea to check the rest of subframe for hairline cracks, I had a few heliarced before they got bigger. Take care, DK